1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pseudo-blackjack games, as the term pseudo-blackjack is defined in the Glossary which is a part of this specification.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pseudo-blackjack games are well known to those having ordinary skill in the card game art.
As is also well known to those having ordinary skill in the art, certain prior art casino and card room card games are relatively complicated, and require knowledge and ability which is beyond the scope of an unskilled card player, especially with respect to the determination of hand values.
Among the known pseudo-blackjack games is the card game of U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,415, which was issued to Roger L. Wisted on Jan. 4, 1994 (hereinafter called "Wisted"). The game of the Wisted patent is sometimes commercially called "Wisted Aces" or "Wisted's California Blackjack". The card game of Wisted is played with a fifty-six card deck and played to a predetermined unique point total on a table having a playing surface and several player stations surrounding said table and a card dealer station located between two of the players, and said dealer does not play hands, in which each station where a player is located initially receives two cards face down with the player adding the value of said cards and each player in rotation to receive one or more cards face up or to stand on the original cards in an endeavor to reach the point total or optimum point count, each player playing against the others of said players, and a winning player having the point total or a total less than or greater than said point total.
The hand ranking method of Wisted, in which the possible hands, in order, rank in value alternately above and below 22, has been found by some players to be unduly cumbersome, complex, and unfamiliar.
Further, the combination of two aces, which is defined by Wisted as a natural, i.e., a combination which immediately takes the hand being played, occurs infrequently, and thus limits the complexity, challenge and excitement of the game of Wisted. The same objection would be true of a game in which the only natural was a pair of Jokers.
Yet further, Wisted excludes the practice of "doubling down", i.e., increasing the player's wager after receiving his or her first two cards in certain stated circumstances, from the play of his game, and thus limits the complexity, challenge and excitement of his game.
Also, Wisted does not specifically recommend the treatment of ties to be varied in order to adjust the advantage to the players or the player-banker.
Yet again, the point valuation of jokers as one or eleven, found in the game of Wisted, limits the number of naturals occurring, and thus limits the complexity, challenge and excitement of the game of Wisted.
Other card games of the modified Blackjack type, i.e., pseudo-blackjack games, are also known to those having ordinary skill in the gaming art, such as "Catch-22", "California Catch-22", and "New Jack". Copies of literature relating to these games are supplied herewith.
"Catch-22", for example, shares many of the deficiencies of the Wisted game, principally differing therefrom in the ranking of the hands.
Another casino card game is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,087, hereinafter sometimes called "Shen", which was issued to Margaret Shen and Barry R. Forrester on Apr.21, 1987, and requires players to maintain two pairs of cards while playing.
The term "prior art" as used herein or in any statement made by or on behalf of applicant means only that any document or thing referred to as prior art bears, directly or inferentially, a date which is earlier than the effective filing date hereof.
An Information Disclosure Statement and copies of prior art are supplied to the United States Patent and Trademark office herewith.